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ANALYST: SAFAROV INCIDENT "PRECONDITION" FOR SUSPENDING TALKS
http://www.armenianow.com/news/39828/markedonov_comment_safarov_case_nagorno_karabakh
News | 10.09.12 | 14:50
Sergey Markedonov
A prominent Russian analyst has written that Hungary's extradition and
Azerbaijan's pardoning of convicted killer Ramil Safarov is grounds
for suspending Nagorno Karabakh peace talks.
"The Safarov case certainly is not the death of the peace process,
but, at the very least, it is a precondition for suspending the talks,
and this [suspension] could be accompanied with new incidents at
the line of contact," writes political analyst Sergey Markedonov,
on Echo Kavkaz (Radio Free Europe) website. Markedonov is a visiting
fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program of the Center for Strategic
and International Studies, based in Washington, D.C.
Markedonov further suggested that the West does not comprehend
the complexity of the standoff between Azerbaijan and Armenia and
consequently does not treat the conflict seriously enough. He wrote:
"Safarov's case showed how far [official] Baku and Yerevan are from
the acknowledgement of making mutual concessions. The 'patriotic
advertisement,' in the lead-up to next year's presidential elections
[in Armenia], evaporated all peacekeeping progress.
"The Hungarian government's decision has put not only Budapest's
standing but also the western society under serious jeopardy. It turns
out that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is taken seriously by words only.
But, in reality, the non-Caucasus political scientists do not imagine
how serious this conflict is considered by the societies of both
countries.
At the same time, questions must be addressed not solely to Baku and
Yerevan, but also to the mediating countries, which must focus on
finding ways to get out of this situation."
http://www.armenianow.com/news/39828/markedonov_comment_safarov_case_nagorno_karabakh
News | 10.09.12 | 14:50
Sergey Markedonov
A prominent Russian analyst has written that Hungary's extradition and
Azerbaijan's pardoning of convicted killer Ramil Safarov is grounds
for suspending Nagorno Karabakh peace talks.
"The Safarov case certainly is not the death of the peace process,
but, at the very least, it is a precondition for suspending the talks,
and this [suspension] could be accompanied with new incidents at
the line of contact," writes political analyst Sergey Markedonov,
on Echo Kavkaz (Radio Free Europe) website. Markedonov is a visiting
fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program of the Center for Strategic
and International Studies, based in Washington, D.C.
Markedonov further suggested that the West does not comprehend
the complexity of the standoff between Azerbaijan and Armenia and
consequently does not treat the conflict seriously enough. He wrote:
"Safarov's case showed how far [official] Baku and Yerevan are from
the acknowledgement of making mutual concessions. The 'patriotic
advertisement,' in the lead-up to next year's presidential elections
[in Armenia], evaporated all peacekeeping progress.
"The Hungarian government's decision has put not only Budapest's
standing but also the western society under serious jeopardy. It turns
out that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is taken seriously by words only.
But, in reality, the non-Caucasus political scientists do not imagine
how serious this conflict is considered by the societies of both
countries.
At the same time, questions must be addressed not solely to Baku and
Yerevan, but also to the mediating countries, which must focus on
finding ways to get out of this situation."